James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2003

MU1213:03

Popular Music Studies

Townsville HECS Band 1

26 hours lectures. Semester 2.

Available to all students except those enrolled in BMus.

This subject offers all students, even those without musical training, an opportunity to immerse themselves in the amazing variety of contemporary music. Developments in musical styles, forms and media will be studied through selected music from a diversity of popular musicians. A range of conemporary styles such as Rock, Pop, Rhythm and Blues, Metal, Rap and Techno is covered.

Learning Objectives:

  1. acquire a basic familiarity with major musical repertoire, stylistic changes and associated terminology relevant to Western popular music since about 1955;
  2. acquire knowledge of the life, times and music of selected song-writers and performers;
  3. discuss, analyse and compare relationships between music and other art forms during this period;.
  4. aurally recognise, describe and compare selected pieces of music by a representative selection of selected song-writers and performers;
  5. relate changes in musical style to underlying social and intellectual theories, philosophies and aesthetics of the period;
  6. develop some intial strategies in musical and historical judgement.

Assessment by essay (30%); two class tests (20% each); listening diary (30%).